The Duke spent most of the next week pondering the recent events and the remarkable information provided by the party, and incidentally to provide a substantial reward to the party for rescuing his subjects. Meanwhile, the party took the opportunity to relax, receive training in the use of firearms, and inspect the Duke's castle and the surrounding areas. The valley in which Castle Wolfsbury was located comprised verious forges, smithies, craftsmen's shops, breweries, bakeries and the like, as well as large fields rich in grain and other produce. About 500 people worked the fields and the various other facilities, while another 2000 or so refugees awaited resettlement. The Duke's armed forces numbered about 1200 men.
Most remarkable was the Duke's force of large, ferocious, reptilian beasts, which the Duke's men referred to as "dinosaurs." The force included about sixty of the beasts, including relatively small bipedal creatures called "deinonychus", larger relatives known as "megaraptors," huge sail-backed monsters called "spinosaurs", and lumbering, frilled, three-horned creatures called "triceratops," each of which carried a howdah capable of holding six armed men. All but the small deinonychus were driven into battle by riders, who were armed with pistols as well as sabers.
During this time, Edward also investigated how effective firearms were against armor. After a thorough testing program, he determined that the pistols and rifles of this world went right through armor and shields up to 90' (pistols) and 180' (rifles); beyond that range, armor began to have some small effect, which continued to improve with range.
After six days, the Duke again summoned the party. He told the party that he had pondered their words and considered their abilities, but that he needed additional information from them. He proposed that Firiona and any others with "powers of witchcraft" determine which of their powers functioned on Arth. The party would also undertake a course of study, over a course of several months, in the Kingslandish and Rappic languages, as well as the creed of Submission. "You need to know our enemies," said the Duke. Meanwhile, based on the information the party developed, the Duke would formulate plans for further action.
The party agreed to the Duke's proposal, and over the next two months engaged in diligent study. They learned that the creed of Submission required only that a believer "submit to the will of the Only God," and "acknowledge that the Most Praised One was the prophet of the Only God." And what was the "will of the Only God"? Whatever the Most Praised One said it was! At any time, the prophet might receive a "revelation," which might be the Only God's authorization to "marry" a five-year-old girl, or a command to slaughter all prisoners who refused instantly to become Submitters, or even a "subsequent revelation" that cancelled or even reversed a previous "revelation." All Submitters were required to believe without question whatever the Most Praised One declared was "the will of the Only God." In return for this mindless credulity, Submitters were authorized, indeed encouraged, to invade, conquer and loot any and all neighboring nations who were in the "Abode of War," that is, not part of the "Abode of Submission," as the lands under their occupation were called. They were free to commit any crime against anyone they liked, as long as the victim was not a male Submitter. They were likewise free to oppress their own women, for the One God had ordered them to "control" their women and their women to "submit in all things" to their men and to "cover themselves in shapeless garb, lest they tempt men." "The perfect tool for tyranny," observed the Duke.
They were further required to comply with the six "Columns of Submission," which included, besides confessing belief in the Only God and His prophet, daily prayer at prescribed times or whenever summoned to do so, fasting on prescribed holy days, paying taxes to the religious authorities, making a personal pilgrimage to the palace of the Most Praised One, and waging war against all unbelievers, doing whatever was necessary to kill them, in battle, by ambush or by any other means.
The party unanimously found the teachings of the Most Praised One appalling and revolting in the extreme.
With respect to magic, it was found that none of Edward's paladin powers functioned on Arth, only certain of Green Arrow's abilities worked, a small number of Firiona's spells worked, many of Lou's bard abilities functioned, and substantially all of Mediel's monk abilities worked. The party struggled to come up with an explanation for these results. Firiona observed that mind-affecting, divining, and transportation abilities and spells, such as scrying, tongues, teleport and dimension door, functioned, but other types of spells, and all spells and abilities that depended on divine power, did not work. The party concluded that only those abilities that could be characterized as "mental" or "psionic" powers (and not all of those) functioned here. Firiona was, however, able to read magic; she concluded that this too was basically a mental power, the power to recall her own spells.
After several weeks' study and experimentation, the party advised the Duke of their findings. Firiona inquired whether people with "mental powers" were known on Arth. The Duke had never heard of such persons in actual fact, but only in old folk tales.
Several days later the Duke again summoned the party. The Duke asked Firiona to describe how teleport and dimension door worked, as well as scrying and locate object. Firiona advised him concerning their ranges, durations and capabilities. Lou also volunteered information about his bardic abilities.
After three more days of contemplation, the Duke was ready. He conferred with the party to discuss his plans. "Your powers of witchcraft are unknown on Arth. That means that defenses against them are also unknown," said the Duke. "And that means that the Submitters are vulnerable to attack." He paused. "This is my proposal: in exchange for your assistance, I will provide you with all that you seek here on Arth--knowledge of our weapons, the assistance of gunsmiths, whatever you desire."
The party readily accepted the Duke's offer. He continued.
"The first phase of the campaign I propose will involve use of your powers to supply weapons to my agents who remain in Stansbury, and at the same time to demoralize the Submitters, in Stansbury and elsewhere. The Submitters are, as you will realize, quite superstitious, not to say utterly ignorant and abysmally stupid. They should readily succumb to our efforts . . . ."
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